Illinois notebook: Basketball team at a crossroads

John Supinie

Tuesday

Jan 25, 2011 at 12:01 AMJan 25, 2011 at 4:53 AM

It's not as sexy as playing consecutive games against three ranked teams, including No. 1 Ohio State. But after losing three of the last four games, Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber called the next three dates "probably a major turning point in our season.''

It's not as sexy as playing consecutive games against three ranked teams, including No. 1 Ohio State. But after losing three of the last four games, Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber called the next three dates "probably a major turning point in our season.''

When No. 20 Illinois (14-6 overall, 4-3 in the Big Ten) plays at Indiana (10-10, 1-6) on Thursday (8 p.m., BTN), then hosts Penn State next Tuesday before playing at Northwestern on Feb. 5, it's a chance for the Illini to get some wins, build some momentum and stay within reach of the Big Ten's upper crust.

At this point, there's no reason to believe the Illini will challenge Ohio State or Purdue in the conference race. Yet the Illini want to stay in the league's upper half and secure a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. A slide through the next three games would push the Illini closer to the NCAA tournament bubble.

"That 10-day stretch will be so important,'' Weber said Monday. "You don't want it to be pressurized, but you want to stay in the top half of the league and keep moving forward. More than anything, you've got to play well and keep improving. A lot can happen.''

This is no time for an exhale, Weber hinted. Illinois does have a four-game winning streak against Indiana, and the Hoosiers lost its two of their best players. Guard Verdell Jones missed the 91-77 loss at Iowa Sunday with a knee injury, and the former Champaign Central star is out indefinitely. Forward Maurice Creek underwent knee surgery last week and is likely sidelined for the season.

Illinois lost five of its last eight games to Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated Illinois 57-55 in State College on Jan. 11. Illinois lost last season at Northwestern.

"We've got to move past this game because the next two games are the biggest of the season,'' Illinois senior forward Mike Davis told reporters after the 73-68 loss to Ohio State on Saturday. "They determine our season. We can't have another lapse. If we have another lapse, we're gonna be a bubble team, and we don't want that to happen."

Illinois must find a cure to losing leads. The Illini built a 50-42 lead over Ohio State with 12 minutes 40 seconds left, but the Buckeyes took control with a 14-0 run.

"We're not very good with the lead,'' Weber said. "We get a little conservative. We don't cut as hard. We don't push the ball. We watch the clock or get satisfied. That's my job to find a way to get some plays or some sets to know we get good movement and we're attacking them.''

FOOTBALL: Illinois received a commitment from three-star bandit linebacker Darrius Caldwell, a prospect from Mays High School in Atlanta who earlier committed to Georgia Tech. The Illini have 27 players committed, two over the 25-man limit set by the Big Ten. The league allows teams to oversign, because of inevitable losses with academic issues.

"They let me know that if things change, they'd be there,'' Caldwell told Scout.com. "(The commitment to Georgia Tech) was early in the season. I don't think it was well thought out.''

As a sophomore when she earned first-team all-Big Ten and honorable mention All-America, Smith averaged 18.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Penn is the bright spot for the Illini while averaging 17.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Those kind of numbers should make Penn a solid first-team all-Big Ten candidate.

Illinois (7-13, 2-5) hosts No. 18 Iowa on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Pack the Hall promotion. Seating is free. Doors open at 1 p.m. Tickets will also be given away for the circus and Monster Truck Nationals. The Illini women will also hold an autograph session after the game.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.

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